Illinois hoarder loses birds

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AURORA, Ill., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Authorities in Aurora, Ill., have begun removing as many as 300 birds kept in coops by a man who has been ordered by a court to remove them from his home.

The city of Aurora said in a news release Friday the removal by firefighters had begun after David Skeberdis, 57, was told to get rid of the birds, of varying species, from his townhouse.

"I've had a week for remorse," he said. "What I want now is good homes. I might be a slob, I let things get out of hand, but what I need to do is get these birds good homes."

The birds will be turned over to the Greater Chicago Cage Bird Club, which has promised to find them good homes, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, reported Friday.

When asked why he did not simply open the coops and let the birds fly away, Skeberdis said: "That would be completely heartless. I'm not that type of person."

The home has been declared condemned, unfit for human habitation, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.